IPS seminar brings participants together from a wide range of backgrounds, sheds new light on a fascinating topic.

The participants in the IPS pastoral seminar on spirituality and psychology.

August 16, 2010. Arlington, VA. Participants from around the globe
gathered at Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center in Bethesda,
MD the first week of August to hear and exchange
ideas on the interplay between spirituality and psychology in ministry.

The fourth annual Pastoral Seminar, "Psychology at the Service of
Spiritual Growth," was sponsored by The Institute for the Psychological
Sciences (IPS), a Catholic graduate school of psychology. IPS
Adjunct Professor Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. led the daily talks,
with evening talks given by IPS Professor Paul Vitz, Ph.D.

Priests,
religious, therapists, and laity attended the course, including a medical
student from the Mayo Clinic and a husband and wife
team who work in the Canadian prison system. Several priests
participating in the conference were seminary directors of formation and
came from such diverse locations as the Philippines, Trinidad, Cameroon
and Uganda.

Spiritual directors for individuals and communities were concerned
with identifying issues that are beyond the scope of spirituality,
requiring attention from a psychological professional. Conversely, therapists were concerned
with the limits of therapy and medications, eager to integrate
the resources of spirituality and grace.

Noted author, psychologist, television
host and co-founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
(CFR), Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., Ed.D., covered 12 sessions
during the 3-day seminar. Topics ranged from an overview of
personality disorders to practical ways to grow spiritually.

Dr.
Paul Vitz of IPS and Professor Emeritus at New York
University, rounded out the conference with three lectures on areas
of particular concern in today’s culture. The first talk centered
on the psychology of hatred and forgiveness, followed by a
talk on the importance of fatherhood. The final talk focused
on the rise of addictions and the devastating consequences they
cause to individuals, families and society.

Participants Reflect on the Course

Chad
Kritzberger, a 4th-year medical student at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota came because, “There is a lot of psychology
that takes place in the field of medicine. Particularly among
patients who are struggling with illness, suffering, and dying. And
I feel as though spirituality and religious background are integral
to helping patients get through their suffering.”

He added, “Dr. Vitz
said something that I continue to think about: There are
psychological problems that do not have psychological answers; rather they
have spiritual answers. That has played out in my experience
in which I have seen individuals struggle with severe psychological
issues that ultimately require the Catholic faith to provide hope
and give meaning to their struggles.”

Fr. Benedict D. O´Cinnsealaigh of
the Cincinnati seminary offered, “For me the most important element
is having access to a Psychological Institute that understands and
promotes a Catholic vision of anthropology and the nature of
the human person from the perspective of intellectual and psychological
integrity, while the professors are personally convinced and committed to
the Catholic faith. As a seminary formation director, I can
trust the insight and advice of the IPS.”

Fr. John Shimotsu,
a convert of Japanese descent and now a Navy Chaplain
stationed at Virginia Beach said, “They had some great presenters
here. As a Navy Chaplain we do a lot of
counseling, with sailors and marines and sometimes with their spouses.
I think a lot of advances have been made in
this field and there are meeting points between the two;
psychology seems to be much more open to the insights
of spirituality. This in an update from the pastoral psychology
course I had in the seminary. I’ve been encouraged by
the variety of participants…priests from seminaries, school counselors, a doctor,
people in the prison system.”

Sr. Olga of the Eucharist, who
runs campus ministry at Boston University, attended because, “Working with
college kids for all these years and especially here in
a different culture, I felt I needed to learn more
about the pastoral connection between spiritual direction and psychology.” Specifically,
“A lot of women struggle with self-esteem and other psychological
issues…They have not accepted that they are made in the
image of God, so being here at the pastoral seminar
has been really helpful because we are not only taking
the psychological perspective but also from a faith background.”

Each year
IPS hosts the Summer Pastoral Seminar. For more information, please
contact IPS Coordinator Nancy Flynn at 703.416.1441 x.127 or nflynn@ipsciences.edu